If you are new to homeschooling or considering it for the future, you probably have seen beautiful, color-coded schedules on Pinterest or Instagram. Today, I want to share my thoughts about WHY ‘down to the minute’ schedules don’t work for EVERY homeschooling family.
Maybe you’ve read about Myers-Briggs personality styles?
The Myers-Briggs theory divides people into 16 different personalities that can be abbreviated into 4-letter types:
- Your first letter is either E or I: extrovert or introvert
- The second letter is either S or N: sensing or intuitive
- Your third letter is either T or F: thinking or feeling
- And the last letter is J or P: judging or perceiving
Js like structure and schedules, while Ps prefer to be spontaneous. And of course, they’re usually in a committed relationship. Ha ha!
Personality Styles and Homeschool Schedules
If you are a J parent, you definitely like the idea of a daily schedule (and may have already made one, printed it out, and stuck it on the fridge).
If you are a P parent, you might “like” the idea of a homeschooling schedule — and you may consider making one for your own family — but maybe it also strikes a bit of terror on the inside?
The real test comes down to your child’s innate personality. Are they a staunch J or a go-with-the-flow P?
- If you have a J kid, they probably LOVE the idea of a schedule. (These are the kids who want to know what’s happening next…all day long.) In fact, your J kid might have already made up a schedule for the entire family to follow.
- If you have a P kid — ha, ha, ha! Throw that schedule away right now.
Unless you are a J parent raising only J kids, your well-thought-out, perfectly-color-coded schedule will work well for approximately 1-3 hours (if you’re lucky). Or someone is crying in the corner right now.
Read more about homeschool routines and schedules!
Benefits of Homeschool Routines
“But kids like structure! They thrive on routine.” — say the experts.
Of course, some structure and routine are good! But, as a J mom, I am totally guilty of shoehorning MY schedule and MY agenda into our family’s plans. I’ve tried to push my children and my spouse in directions they really didn’t want to go…and it hasn’t gone well.
Homeschooling is not meant to be “school at home.” (And I say that as a former classroom teacher.) You don’t need to control every minute of every day for your kids.
In fact, one of my homeschooling goals is helping my children learn how to manage their own time! Instead of a rigid schedule, we use a flexible schedule based around our family routines and regular touchstones.
Most adults have much more freedom than children. With a little teaching and a lot of practice (and support from their parents), our kids can learn to coordinate their schoolwork, activities, and free time. Tools like timers, clocks, and calendars can teach how to show up on time and stay on task.
But it’s important to remember that we’re raising humans, not machines. Time management is an important life skill, but so is self-care. Homeschool routines teach children that it’s okay to rest — their self-worth is not tied to their productivity.
I’m not saying that all schedules are bad or that they definitely won’t work for you. But social media often paints an unrealistic view of homeschooling. It’s more than okay to try lots of different tips to see which ones work best for your family!
Do you prefer the idea of homeschool routines or schedules?
And are you J or a P?
Do you have lots of questions about homeschooling?
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